Into the Garbage Chute Flyboy!

Norman G. Robinson III

Nov 29, 2017

In 1977, when I was a kid there was nothing more significant than Star Wars. This movie dominated our culture and created the franchise and craze for everything Star Wars that we have today. One part of this popularity is that “Wars” comics are going strong all these years later. There is a current feeding frenzy for the Star Wars #1 (from 1977). This story was based on the screenplay by George Lucas adapted by Roy Thomas topped off by Howard Chaykin’s stylish art. Forty plus years later, that cover still holds some magic, even after multiverse galore, several secret wars later, and infinite reshuffling of both the DC and Marvel universes.

This book has multiple catalysts going for it. The Last Jedi comes out in theatres this year and will probably be a big hit. The incomparable Mark Hamill is reprising his role as Luke, and sadly this is the last performance of Carrie Fisher. Disney has already greenlit the sequel. These two movie catalysts will give added hyper-drive power to the ranking of the original comic, possibly sending the price rising into the stratosphere. What does this mean for “Wars” speculators out there? Simply put: “limited quantity with increasing demand equals rising prices all other things being equal.”

In the last two years, Star Wars #1 has risen to 4th place in the most popular comic book ranking at GoCollect. It stands ready to surpass Amazing Spider-man # 361 which sits in 3rd place! This Star Wars key has done well for a comic from the Bronze Age. I suggest current speculation should trend toward low-grade keys. For instance, a copy with the grade of 4.0 has demolished returns on most other grades. This issue has had an 82% increase in price for this Star Wars key (per GoCollect last two years).

Remember, just like the planet Alderon supplies of this comic are getting demolished, and they aren’t making any more. Pick up as many copies as you can find, keep one for collecting and speculate on the rest. I might even suggest a little excess speculation try to pick up the first ten issues of this comic since all prices have shot up. Join this speculative rebellion and seek out a copy before reprints are the only thing available, or in the immortal words of Princess Leia, “Somebody has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, flyboy!”

If This Be Doomsday

No team has been as cherished as the Fantastic Four during the Silver, Bronze and Modern Age of comics. There is something about the team, family, and just all around coolness of the characters. Sadly, this has not translated into significant movies, no catalyst there for speculators. However, current prices are still very reasonable. One such comic is Fantastic Four #49. It is hot in the overall comic market. The issue has Jack Kirby pencils and script by Stan Lee, not to mention Joe Sinnott does the inks. Also, this crucial critical issue is the first cover appearance of Silver Surfer and Galactus.

Over the last month, this comic has jumped 394 places to rank as the 96th most popular GoCollect comic. Currently, the prices are still reasonable, and you can pick up a 3.5 grade for around $75. This important key comic sports a cover of two primary characters in Marvel. It is the Surfer’s second appearance, and a specific must own key; given that Silver Surfer plays a role throughout the Infinity Stone storyline. Could this be the reason for a sudden rise in popularity in Fantastic Four #49? This is an essential cover. Covers are becoming more desired than ever with the growth of slabbed comics in the marketplace. That is reason enough to buy this comic. It’s not the doomsday to spend $75 speculating on this Silver Age classic.

All Item images are used solely for identification purposes.All rights to item images reserved by their respective copyright holders.

Get the most out of your chirps with these few tips:

Use @username to mention a specific user.

Use @GCIN (replace GCIN with the proper number) to mention an individual item.

Use #subdomain to mention a specific collection. To find the subdomain of a collection, simply look up in your browser's address bar. The subdomain is the letters that follow the 'http://', but come before the '.gocollect.com'. For example, the subdomain for comics.gocollect.com would just be comics (used as #comics).

Use a hashtag (#) directly in front of a word to make it a search link.